Straight bar knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A straight bar knitting machine has drawoff mechanism including endless chains having fabric- or welt-stick-engaging drawoff hooks for carrying a pressed-off fabric blank from the needles to normally open drawoff rollers and over an angular stripper plate, and wherein the stripper plate and the fabric thereon are gripped by the drawoff rollers which are rotated to advance the gripper plate and the fabric for stripping the fabric or the welt stick clear of the drawoff hooks.

United States Patent lnventors Raymond Blood;

Alan John Pearson, both of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England Sept. 3, 1968 July 6, 1971 Cotton William Limiged Sept. 5, 1967 Great Britain Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee Priority STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES a Cs, :5 Drawing F15.

11.5. CI 66/149 Int. Cl D04b 15/90 Field 01 Search 66/149, 96

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1953 Lynam 4/1957 Vaclavik et a1.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,213,949 4/1966 Germany 66/96 (W) 1,225,807 9/1966 Gerrnany..... 66/96 (W) 747,129 3/1956 Great Britain... 66/149 991,975 5/1965 Great Britain... 66/149 1,000,293 8/1965 Great Britain 66/149 Primary Examiner-Wm. Carter Reynolds AltorneyLarson, Taylor & Hurds ABSTRACT: A straight bar knitting machine has drawoff mechanism including endless chains having fabricor weltstick-engaging drawoff hooks for carrying a pressed-off fabric blank from the needles to normally open drawoff rollers and over an angular stripper plate, and wherein the stripper plate and the fabric thereon are gripped by the drawoff rollers which are rotated to advance the gripper plate and the fabric for stripping the fabric or the welt stick clear of the drawoff hooks.

PATENTE-D JUL-6 IHYI 3, 590 602 SHEET 02 0F 25 FIG. 2.

PATENTED JUL-6 I9?! SHEET 03 [1F 25 PATENTEU JUL-SIB?! 3,590,602

SHEET on HF 25 PATENTEU JUL 6 13H SHEET 05 [1F 25 PATENTED JUL-6197i SHEET 10 0F 25 PATENTEH JUL-6 1971 SHEET 11 0F 25 PATENTEU JUL-6 IBYI SHEET 12 0F 25 PATENTED JUL-6 |97| sum 13 HF 25 PATENIEU JUL-6 as?! saw 1n or 25 SHEET 15 0F 25 PATENTED JUL-6 mm PATENTEU JUL-6 19w SHEET 17 OF 25 PATENTEB JUL-6 137i SHEET 18 0F 25 PATENTEU JUL-6 I97! SHEET 19 0F 25 

1. Drawoff mechanism for pressed-off garment blanks, comprising endless side chains carrying drawoff hooks, means for racking and continuously driving the endless side chains at different times, fabric drawoff nip rollers to which the blanks are fed by the drawoff hooks, means for opening and closing the nip rollers, means for racking and continuously driving the nip rollers at different times, and an angular stripper plate adapted to be gripped at the underside of the blanks by closing of the nip rollers and to be displaceable by rotation of the latter to push the blanks off the drawoff points.
 2. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein there is a racking mechanism for the endless side chains and for a lower nip roller and also a reversible rotating mechanism therefore, with means for switching from the former to the latter when required.
 3. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the stripper plate is pivotally mounted in cooperation with a lower relatively stationary nip roller and normally held inoperative by a lost motion connection to an upper displaceable nip roller, with means for lowering the upper nip roller to close the nip when required and to then release, by the lost motion, the stripper plate for operation by rotation of the nip rollers.
 4. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein means for lowering the upper roller consists of an electric motor driving a lead screw on which is a screwnut connected to the upper roller and which operates between spaced electric control switches for control of the upper and lower limits of travel of the upper roller.
 5. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein racking the endless side chains is through the medium of racking mechanism and chain and sprocket means, and continuously driving the endless side chains and the lower nip roller is through the medium of an electric motor and chain and sprocket means, and these means are under control of switch operated clutches.
 6. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein for the instance of a transferred rib arrangement, the drawoff hooks engage the fabric underneath the latter in a straight run of the endless side chains, and for this purpose the hooks at this location have upwardly directed points such that when travelling downwards at the location of the drawoff rollers, the points project forwards thereby providing for release of the fabRic therefrom by a forward movement of the stripper plate.
 7. Mechanism according to claim 1 wherein in the instance of a turned welt arrangement, the drawoff hooks are recessed plates to receive a welt stick, and the welt stick is released from the recesses at the time of operation of the stripper plate positively through a pushing action thereon by striker members depending from and carried downwardly by the closing of the nip rollers.
 8. Mechanism according to claim having a fabric drawoff deflector arm, means for holding the deflector arm in an upper inoperative position across the front of the machine, and means for releasing the deflector arm at required time to provide for the arm lowering to carry the fabric with it to a low location. 